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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — The state of Ohio will allow high school seniors to participate in traditional end-of-schoolyear events.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said new COVID-19 guidance for proms and graduations will be released in the coming days.

“People will be able to plan for proms, they’ll be able to plan for graduation. There’s no reason these events cannot occur if we follow basic safety protocols,” the governor said during his coronavirus news conference on Thursday.

“We have seen schools, principals, teachers and students do a pheromonal job in class… This is not maybe your dream of the prom with people having masks on, but you can still have a prom, you can still have a graduation. We wanted to signal to people today that you can start planning.”

Recommendations for banquet centers will also be available at that time. Updated safety protocols for fairs, festivals and parades are expected soon.

The class of 2020 had to forgo their proms, and graduations transformed into drive-thru events for many Ohio school districts in the early stages of the pandemic.

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